There was fury among students at a vigil for the victims of the Colorado school shooting Wednesday night, and as politicians and gun control activists addressed the crowd, the students stormed out of the school gym.

They claimed the real issue is not gun control but mental health and held their own vigil outside using the lights from their cellphones.

The vigil comes as one of the heroes of the shooting is speaking out.

Brendan Bialy's friend, Kendrick Castillo, was killed as they both tried to overpower the shooter.

“He was a hero,” Bialy said. “It happened so fast it was just an intense, intense couple of seconds of movement and fighting and what not.”

The alleged 18-year-old shooter Devon Erickson made a bizarre appearance in court Wednesday with his head bowed.

He spoke only a single word when asked if he objected to the charges: “No.”

Erickson's alleged accomplice, Alec McKinney, 16, was also arraigned in a hearing closed to cameras.

Both teenagers were close and reportedly carpooled to the school each day.

Sidney High School near Dayton, Ohio, ran a tactical demonstration on what to do in the event of a school shooting.

The weapons and other tactical gear are kept in special safes in secret locations around school.

Principal Dr. Brian Powderly asked for volunteers for a teachers' task force in response to the school shootings across America.

“On any given day, that decision may require them to take a life to save the lives of many other students and or adults in this building and it’s not something taken lightly,” he said.

Fifteen states allow teachers to carry arms at school and the latest shooting is likely to lead to more demands for guns in the classroom.